Hearts on Trial
by SadaraLochlan
Summary: As defense attorney, Perry Mason tries to sort through his feelings for his confidential secretary, Della Street, he seeks counsel from his courtroom nemesis in matters of the heart rather than the law.
1. Coffee Breaks

_I know a lot of you really want P/D stories and I've done my best to include that ship in my stories, but the truth is I really want to write about other ships and explore some of the other characters in Perry Mason. I'm happy to continue expanding on my P/D in my stories, but unless something changes or inspiration strikes, I'm not going to focus exclusively on them most of the time._

The barista took Hamilton Burger's order with an amused expression. This particular coffee shop was located on the ground floor of the courthouse the district attorney regularly worked in and so he was a regular familiar to all the employees. This morning saw the ginger haired prosecutor in an unusually energetic and buoyant mood as he approached the counter tall and confident.

"Just straight coffee for me this morning, please. Still smiling proudly, Hamilton tossed a five on the counter and gestured that he didn't need any change. The barista's eyes widened with surprise. Tips, particularly of that generosity, were rare, especially for a cup of straight black coffee that required virtually no effort to prepare. Whether Mr. Prosecutor won the lottery or finally a court case against Perry Mason, he appeared to have done well for himself recently.

He wasn't a looker and he was a bit older than her, but the barista thought she could go for a man as generous as the district attorney often was. But was there a Mrs. District Attorney already in the picture? Discreetly, the barista stole a glance at his left hand as he took the cup of piping hot coffee from her.

 _Go figure…_ , she sighed mentally as she spied the telltale shiny band of gold that marked him as taken. Finding a decent man had been a bigger challenge for her than for her friends unfortunately and it was really beginning to frustrate her.

Just barely catching the glance at his ring, Hamilton's own expression changed from enthusiastic to surprise and then finally flattered. He blushed slightly, unused to much female attention aside from that of his wife. The barista wasn't an unattractive girl, but she wasn't glamorous either. Her most striking feature was her thick, auburn hair pulled back into a ponytail appropriate for work. Had Hamilton not already been married, this young woman might have appealed to him. He had come into the coffee shop before during times when she'd be on break, sitting at a corner table and reading a book. His own wife, Alexandra had been similar at that age.

She wilted slightly in embarrassment as she realized she'd been caught, but she willed courage to look him in the eye.

"Your buddy, Mr. Mason came in a few minutes ago. He's over in the corner and looked pretty glum when he came in. Perhaps he'd like some company," she said.

Flashing a sincere smile, Hamilton nodded. "Thanks, Judy. I might just do that."

Coffee in hand, Hamilton weaved his way around the myriad tables over to his courtroom opponent's location in the grim, dimly lit corner. Perry's tie was uncharacteristically loosened in public. "You look like you could use someone to talk to, Perry. Mind if I sit down?"

Perry's head jerked up as if he'd been caught by surprise and Hamilton frowned. It was not like Perry at all to be so unaware of his surroundings. He was almost always the most observant person Hamilton had ever known.

"Oh, Hamilton! Yes, of course. Please sit down."

Pulling out the chair across the table from Perry, the prosecutor lowered himself into it.

"Yesterday's case?"

"Partly," Perry nodded, glancing up at Hamilton again before lowering his gaze back to the dark depths of his coffee cup. He kept rotating it back and forth as if willing it to produce the answers he sought. "But mostly, things of a personal nature this time actually."

Hamilton took a sip of his own coffee as he pondered whether or not to press Perry to talk about it. Perry could be rather private about his personal life, but sometimes Hamilton wondered if that was because he worked so much he had no personal life to talk about. Hamilton could almost relate to that given the number of late hours he put in at the office as well. His long suffering wife, Alexandra had long since accepted it and gotten used to it. On top of her own counseling practice, she saw to the needs of the house and their children, making Hamilton wonder how he'd ever come to deserve her.

"Personal nature as in romance, Perry? Meet someone?" Hamilton prodded gently.

The district attorney fought the urge to tease Perry about his lack of love life. With Perry appearing so grim and distraught over whatever was eating him up, now was the worst time to rib him about it. Hamilton could rub it in with the best of them with his small victories in court, but when deep feelings were involved, being an insufferable ass was just tasteless in Hamilton's eyes.

"I met her a long time ago, Hamilton. Hell, I've been in love with her a long time," the raven haired defense attorney said softly, and then his expression turned thoughtful. "Hamilton, how have you been able to balance your work and your family life? I'm concerned that if I pursue this, I won't be able to devote sufficient time to both to be successful at either."

Perry's thoughts drifted as they often did to his confidential secretary, Della Street. For years, she'd worked for him, taken care of him and his practice above and beyond the call of duty and he'd fallen in love with her for it. She was so close to him every day and yet so far away because the proper thing to do was to try and ignore his feelings for her because she worked for him. It was perfect pain and perfect pleasure and it was finally wearing down his weary resolve.

"It's Della, Hamilton. I can't deny the fact that I'm in love with her anymore. The problem is she works for me and I need her in that capacity. She's the best damn confidential secretary there is."

The prosecutor didn't even bother pretending to look shocked at Perry's confession. They'd all noticed the way Perry looked at Della. Him, Tragg, Drake… It had always been obvious even if Perry hadn't thought it was. But how to advise his courtroom nemesis…?

They sat in suffocating silence as Hamilton pondered that.

"Look, Perry. You and I both know that an office romance probably isn't the wisest course of action, but the truth is your feelings for Della have been plain as day to those of us who have worked with and around you for a long time. This is going to continue eating you up inside until you tell her. There are other confidential secretaries out there. You're only in love with one of them. You work like a dog, Perry. We both do. We deserve to have families to go home to. Don't waste any more time and tell her before someone else snatches her up, like Paul Drake. The rest will sort itself out."

Perry digested that. Hamilton's words made a lot of sense, but Perry didn't want to go about this selfishly. He wanted to make Della happy and make the time for her in order to do that. His sense of duty and obligation to his work was equally as strong.

Hamilton studied Perry's expression carefully as he took another sip of the bitter liquid.

"Perry, you don't want to go through life with a big "what if." If it's important to you, you'll make the time. It's tricky sometimes, but most weeks I'm able to set aside a night to take Alexandra out and then I spend time with the kids on the weekends. You'll find a way to do similar with Della if it's what you really want."

"Or I might lose a few more court cases distracted by a wife and children," Perry teased.

"Yeah, I suppose. But it's worth it, Perry. Trust me. I wouldn't trade Alexandra and my girls for winning all the court cases I've ever tried. And keep in mind, Della has worked with you for many years. No one is better prepared to accept the realities of your work schedule if it turns out she feels the same."

Perry nodded at that and took the final sip of his coffee before rising from the table.

"Thanks, Hamilton. I'll take it under advisement, but now I have to get back up to the office and prepare for this afternoon."

"Alright, good luck." Hamilton nodded, concern still written on his weathered features as he clapped Perry on the arm. He was a bit uncertain if he'd made an impact, but he reminded himself that just because he'd dispensed advice didn't mean that Perry had to take it. Whatever Perry decided, Hamilton hoped it worked out well for the man. He couldn't imagine winning all the court cases in the world if it meant having no one to celebrate with when he finally got home.

As the longtime prosecutor watched Perry's retreating back, he noted with some amusement that this was one case he hoped Perry would actually win.


	2. Blank Pages

Della grabbed her coat off the coat rack and shrugged into the heavy coat she'd worn into the office that morning. She regarded it with confusion as she buttoned it up, wondering why on Earth she owned a coat this heavy living in Los Angeles. Even in the dead of winter the weather almost never warranted more than the occasional raincoat. Still, it was easier to wear it out then carry it out so on it went.

Throwing her purse over her shoulder, she peeked inside and fished for her car keys. She frowned as she realized that her longtime boss and good friend, Perry Mason hadn't even looked up much less readied himself to leave. Most of the time they left together and she couldn't imagine why he was staying late when his most recent court case had been decided in his favor that afternoon.

"Perry?" She asked curiously.

His head snapped up suddenly at the sound of his name. He hadn't realized he'd been so lost in thought. Oh yes, the time… "You go ahead, Della. I have a few things I want to catch up on here."

He gave her his best, most charming smile and desperately hoped it didn't give Della the impression that he was up to no good.

Smiling back, those gorgeous hazel eyes were bright with suspicion and mischief. Who knew what Perry Mason was up to next? She'd learn soon enough, she supposed.

Well alright, chief. Don't stay up too late though."

"I'll certainly try not to. Good night."

Perry waited for the door to close behind his lovely confidential secretary before he took out his writing tablet. It really shouldn't be used for personal reasons, but it was Perry's law firm so he supposed it was his call.

He'd been wracking his brain for the right way to confess his feelings to Della ever since his conversation with Hamilton Burger in the coffee shop that morning. He'd wanted to conjure up something memorable, but several hours later he felt no closer to that. Perhaps he was overthinking it? Perhaps a simple love letter and a bouquet of roses would be sweet and memorable in its simplicity?

The love letter would be challenging all by itself. Perry Mason had mastered drafting and dictating perfect, concise law documents, but love letters were an art form of an entirely different sort. The love letter would make him vulnerable through the expression of his feelings. It would mandate he bear his heart and soul to the object of his affections and leave him at the mercy of her response. Law documents were stone cold and lifeless, devoid of any feeling and reflecting only the letter and spirit of the law.

The sound of Paul's signature knock at the back door to Perry's office halted the lovesick defense attorney's attempt to put the right words to paper. Perry was pretty mellow, but warring feelings of frustration and relief coursed through him at the interruption. He was anxious to get this letter penned and set aside for Della in the morning as she usually beat him to the office, but as he still had no clue what to say, he welcomed the distraction.

"Come in, Paul!" He called, though his voice sounded tired and lifeless.

Paul sauntered in like he owned the place and dropped his tall frame into the chair next to Perry's desk. He pulled out what was probably the fiftieth cigarette that day and lit it with a flourish before noticing how tired his longtime friend looked.

"Rough day in court?"

Perry shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "No, not really. Trying to pen a love letter actually. Not exactly my forte…," his deep voice trailed off distractedly as he stared at his still blank tablet.

"Love letter?!" Paul's blue eyes widened with surprise. "You mean you're finally going to tell Della how you feel about her?"

That woke Perry up a little and he glanced over at Paul. "Hamilton Burger said similar this morning at the coffee shop. Am I really that transparent?"

Perry seemed genuinely surprised to realize so many others had found his feelings for Della obvious. He thought he'd been as enigmatic and stoic about it just as he was in court.

"Well probably not to everyone, but let's face it, Hamilton and I have known you a while. It's hard to miss the way you look at her sometimes."

"It seems she has or she's done very well at pretending not to notice," Perry murmured softly.

"I've love to help you, Perry, but unfortunately, I haven't had too much luck in the romance department myself. I know nothing about penning successful love letters. You might want to ask Hamilton though. According to Helen, her mother has a shoebox full of them from Hamilton from their college years. I love to give Hamilton a hard time about winning in court, but the truth is the man figured out a long time ago how to win in the romance and family department. We can't say that for us so I won't mock him for knowing how to write love letters even though it does seem pretty old fashioned."

"Thanks, Paul. I'll just have to hope that Della appreciates my old fashioned-ness," Perry quipped good naturedly.

"Oops. Sorry, Perry. I wasn't trying to insult you."

"I know that, Paul. I'm just giving you a hard time, but I should really get to finishing it so I can get home at a decent hour. I still don't know what to say though."

Paul regarded the defense lawyer for a moment. "The truth, Perry. You're good at getting to that."


	3. Not Exactly a Legal Document

Perry Mason awoke the next morning nearly paralyzed with the staggering realization that he'd actually carried his plan to let his confidential secretary know how he felt about her. The sensation disoriented him. He wasn't accustomed to being surprised by anything he did, but he couldn't deny the fact that he was in this rare instance. It was surreal to know that when he walked into his own office in just a few hours his life would be forever changed. A declaration such as his would shift the dynamic of his relationship with Della Street in some way; that was unavoidable. Only the near future held the answer to whether Della felt the same way or if the office atmosphere would now be suffocatingly uncomfortable for a while until Della finally decided to look for work elsewhere.

The normally stoic defense attorney's heart squeezed with hope and fear as he sat up in bed. The covers were jerked back in an impatient motion and Perry padded into the bathroom to shower and ready himself for the day ahead.

In at least one way though, the day ahead would be like any other; there was a mystery in the offing. It was just on the personal front today.

Della was a morning person and most days she beat both Perry and Gertie to the office by a good half hour if not more. She left the light off in the front desk area not wanting to attract any early birds to Perry's office with the mistaken impression that the office was open already. She locked the door behind her and made her way to her own office. A confused frown creased her brow as she noted the light was still on.

"That's odd…," she mumbled to herself quietly. "I could have sworn I turned the light off before I left last night…"

Mentally she shrugged it off. It was a habit for her to make sure the lights were off and the office was secure before she left, but yesterday had been hectic so she supposed it was possible that she'd forgotten to turn off her own light. Or maybe Perry had come in early and needed her notes or something. Still, she was cautious as she opened the door. One couldn't be too careful in this day and age.

A soft gasp escaped her as her hazel eyes caught sight of her desk. A large and breathtaking arrangement of very red roses sat in the center of her desk. A card peeked out of the bouquet along with another envelope pinned under the vase by a corner.

"Who could these be from?" Della murmured as a delighted smile lit up her face. "And red roses at that!"

She plucked the small card from the arrangement first and gasped again as she read the short note.

 _With all my love, Perry_

It was in his handwriting so there was no chance of her being pranked and she flushed with shame at the realization that she'd even assumed the possibility of such a thing in the first place. When had she become so cynical?

 _Probably about the time we started stumbling onto dead bodies and uncovering people's motives for just about anything…_

Rounding her desk she slowly lowered herself into her chair, her heart pounding and her breathing shallow as she tried to digest the revelation that Perry Mason was in love with her. How had she missed it? After years of working closely with him, how had he managed to keep that so much to himself that she hadn't noticed even a hint or a clue? She'd never read anything into the dinners out or the occasional late nights out dancing. She'd just figured they'd been so busy with work so often that he hadn't really anyone else to go out with. How long had it been that he'd hoped for something else?

Her shaking fingertips stole out to brush the second envelope gently. She wondered at the contents, but her emotions threatened to overcome her. Perry was a very handsome, very kind and gentle man, and she found herself fully ready to reciprocate his feelings now that the door had been opened. But they worked together? It couldn't possibly be appropriate and ethical, though she was certain they were both professional enough to work together without letting their feelings impair their judgment. But then many others had before them, she supposed. But Perry had managed to for years already, keeping it so secret that even she hadn't detected it. Perhaps an office romance wouldn't be so harmful. They spent enough time together for it to practically built in, she mused.

Determined, the young secretary gently tugged the envelope from under the vase and plucked her letter opener from her drawer. Opening the letter quickly before she lost her nerve, Della unfolded it to find more of Perry's instantly recognizable and neat handwriting.

 _My darling Della,_

 _I fear I haven't had as much practice penning love letters as I've had drawing up legal documents. We've worked closely together for several years now and in that time, I've come to develop very strong feelings for you. I've done my level best to keep those feelings private in order to preserve the strong working relationship and friendship we have. You're the best confidential secretary a man like me could ever hope to have and my practice has been so much the better for it._

 _But I've also come to realize that man can't live by work alone. My career will always be extremely important to me, but I wish to make time for other things. I wish to make time for a relationship with you and possibly more in the event you share my feelings. If you don't, I hope we can remain good friends and colleagues just as we have been all these years._

 _Hopelessly in love,_

 _Perry_

Della sat there staring at the letter as if unable to believe what she'd read. She reread it about five more times before the contents really sunk in for her. Glancing up at her clock, she realized Perry would likely arrive in about ten minutes so she ducked into the bathroom, hoping to get a grip on her emotions. Her mind was a maelstrom of thoughts and feelings and she needed to make a decision quickly. Lovesick and tormented by it, Perry would obviously be hoping to be put out of his misery with an answer one way or another. They were both consummate professionals, but their attraction was so strong that she wasn't sure acting on it could be avoided now that Perry finally put a voice to it. Now it all seemed so very real.

Exiting the restroom, she very nearly barreled into him.

"Oh, Perry!"


	4. Moment of Truth

_My apologies for how short this is, but I guess Perry and Della wanted to keep it short and sweet this time. This chapter did end up a lot sexier than the more emotional meeting I had envisioned, but sometimes the characters decide how they're going to be written._

Perry caught Della by the shoulders and steadied her. He stood tall and strong and handsome and taking her breath away.

"Della…," he said softly, so softly she almost couldn't hear him. He noticed the tears brimming in her hazel eyes and he knew she'd read his letter already. His heart began pounding, realizing that the moment of truth was upon him, and his breath caught in his throat.

Tiny hands rested flat against his broad chest and Della let herself relax against him, reveling in the feeling of his strong arms encircling her in that comforting, protective way he had.

"Oh Perry, what will we do?! Will I have to quit? Can we make this work? I don't want to quit, but I love you too!"

Despite the gravity of the situation and the very legitimate nature of Della's concerns, the raven haired defense attorney couldn't help but chuckle deeply.

"First, we blame Hamilton Burger because he was the one who convinced me to tell you how I felt. Second, you don't have to quit. At least not until we know if this is going to be detrimental to our working relationship. And third…"

Perry tipped Della's chin up with a strong hand and captured Della's lips with his own. The kiss was deep and full of all the longing he had expressed in the letter Della had just read.

When their lips parted, Della smiled happily and somewhat breathlessly up at Perry. "If that was third, I can only imagine what fourth and fifth will be like."

"Shall we skip ahead?" Perry asked, mischief dancing in his big blue eyes. "Surely that desk of yours has to be good for something besides work?"

"Oh, you…!" Della laughed, gently swatting him on the arm and somehow summoning the willpower to extract herself form his arms. She glanced back at him with just as much mischief as she made her way back to his office, remembering that he had a couch in there. "Now that I think of it, I believe your couch would be more comfortable for that. Any objections, Mr. Defense Attorney?"

Perry's grin widened in anticipation as Della tugged on his tie and led him in that direction.

"Not a one…," he murmured huskily as his lips found hers again and their bodies found the couch.


End file.
